So we say it all the time and we know furniture shopping can be hard, especially when it comes to sofas. Not only are there a zillion styles to choose from but they also range from $199 a sofa to $5,000 a sofa. How do you tell the quality? Here are some of our tips to helping our customers tell the quality of a sofa and getting more when they are paying more.

1.) Ask about the wood of the frame. Is it made out of kiln-dried hardwood? This process of drying the wood removes the moisture out of wood allowing it to keep its stability over time.

2.) Check the matching of the pattern of the fabrics. Does the pattern on the back of the sofa match the cushions? Are the stripes aligned at the edges? A mark of quality construction is the careful matching of patterns.

3.) Inspect the joints. Are they glued, dowelled & screwed? Or are they glued & nailed? Are the further reinforced by additional reinforcing blocks?

4.) Ask about the spring system used. Does it have sinuous spring construction? Sinuous springs are “S” shaped and run from the front of the seat to the back. These springs are supported by additional wires that run side to side, making it a strong seat.

5.) What’s in your cushions? There are many different options for cushion fills from standard foam seats, to channel blown fiber, to feather down blends seats…you have your pick of what you want to sit on everyday. Just make sure it’s not filled with peanuts. Check to make sure they are reversible. If it’s foam is it dacron wrapped?

6.) Try picking up the sofa. There is a correlation with the weight of a sofa with quality. The heavier it is the higher quality it is.

7.) Ask about the warranty.

All in all, obviously what you pay for is often what you get. If you are spending $500 for a sofa it might be a great deal but don’t expect it to be comfortable for a very long time or last you a very long time. Quality doesn’t come cheap especially in sofas.

If there’s one thing I learned from watching the Super Bowl commercials this year is that we love our dogs and I am just as guilty as the next. Cute dogs, dogs with personality, dogs bribing their owners….I just can’t get enough. So we decided to scour the internet and find our top 5 favorite pets & furniture pictures! Which one’s your favorite?! Feel free to send us the ones you love as well!

If there’s one thing I’ve found to be pretty common in San Diego apartments and condos….they are small. Price we pay for living in San Diego and getting the beautiful weather that we do. It’s a good thing they’ve made furniture pieces designed specifically in mind for small spaces, like futons, futon beds, and futon cushions. Here’s a look at some of the futons and sofa convertibles we carry. Helping those of us that live in small spaces make the most of our space.

With our entire society moving faster into embracing a greener world and way to living, we were pretty stoked when we found Enso sleep systems offering a greener healthier twist on memory foam mattresses. Enso mattresses uses natural technologies and processes to make their mattresses, foundations and pillows.

Enso Green Mattress Technologies:

1. Active Charcoal – filters harmful chemicals in manufacturing process and reduces odors. Charcoal is a natural drying agent and helps fight mold & mildew
2. Aloe Vera – Promotes calmness and creates freshness in the memory foam mattress. It also promotes healthy skin.
3. Mineral Water – The Enso memory foam is washed with mineral water to reduce odors naturally. When they wash the foam it also serves to reduce harmful chemicals and gases that could cause health risks.
4. APR Foam – Airflow pressure relief foam helps reduce pressure on the body
5. Negative Ion – helps to neutralize harmful allergens, pollen and airborne particles.
6. Bamboo – all Enso mattresses are made with natural Bamboo which helps reduce the transfer of body heat for a cooler sleep and increases the durability of your mattress.
7. Silver Technology – since Silver has been known to kill harmful bacteria and dust mites and is deterrent to bed bugs, silver is infused into the foam pouring process and will not rub off, wash off or wear off.

Our personal take:
I wasn’t lying when I said I was stoked we brought in a greener more natural mattress. On our showroom floor we show the 10″ Dreamweaver and the 11.5″ Swan mattresses from the Enso line. We like that they don’t feel as heavy as the traditional Visco memory foam mattress. They actually use a lower density foam which causes a lighter feel in the mattress. The 11.5″ Swan Mattress is actually a mattress that features a 300 thread count duvet cover, a mixture of baffled memory foam clusters. It feels like you are sleeping on little pockets of memory foam since you technically are. I think it’s a feel you would have to get used but would love overtime.

Make sure you come to check them out so you can judge it for yourself. 😉

If we had a nickel for every time we hear this question…..well……you know how the saying goes. We totally understand and with every other furniture store out there offering free delivery, we can also see how the customer would come to expect it. However, we don’t offer free delivery services and here’s why. Free delivery never really means free and if it does actually mean free it probably also means there’s not a lot of value in the service you get.

Often times stores that offer free delivery just build the cost of delivery into their pricing. Which in turn means you pay more for the same piece of furniture whether you get delivery or not. It also means it’s not really free. We don’t make money on our delivery service but we do try to cover the costs of running a white glove delivery service. Giving you guys that speak English, guys that show up when the say they will and pre-inspected, pre-assembled furniture making the overall delivery quick, smooth and completely painless. We’re also transparent with how much you’re paying for everything. That way you know the true cost of your furniture and the true cost of delivery.

Don’t get fooled into thinking you’re saving money and experience a furniture delivery that makes you wish you just paid the extra $50 to not worry about a thing. Sometimes your sanity is worth it!